


to fight a hurricane

by redrioting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Agender Akaashi Keiji, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, Fluff and Angst, More characters to be added later, Multi, Mutant Powers, Mythology - Freeform, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, dragons won't be seen for a while, i just really want that there bc i love dragons, idk how to tag that tbh, naga!tendou, will add more tags and characters and pairings as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-01 18:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8634127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redrioting/pseuds/redrioting
Summary: Akaashi Keiji is blessed with powers and strengths, with well hidden nonchalance under charisma and grace. Akaashi Keiji is cursed with powers and strengths, with inked arms visible only to few and scars that go deeper than any surface. Akaashi Keiji is cursed with strength of pain, their own and others, with death and suffering, with struggles and rage. Akaashi Keiji is an omen and they will be the destruction of all.





	

Death is not a foreign concept to many, Akaashi Keiji; being very well associated with different forms of death, is not excluded from this.

Marked at birth with the omen of darkness, a cloud of death surrounding their form from the second they let out their first wail, thin strings of shadows crawling from the ground they walk on, curling and twisting around Keiji’s limbs, leaving trails of ash whenever Keiji’s skin is touched, marring them with raised scars and black ink; permanent reminders of what they are and warnings to what others must avoid.

Akaashi Keiji is blessed with powers and strengths, with well hidden nonchalance under charisma and grace.

Akaashi Keiji is cursed with powers and strengths, with inked arms visible only to few and scars that go deeper than any surface. Akaashi Keiji is cursed with strength of pain, their own and others, with death and suffering, with struggles and rage.

Akaashi Keiji is an omen and they will be the destruction of all.

***

All sixteen clans gather together for one of three reasons; the passing of a clan’s leader, the banishment of a clan member or the continuous increase and formation of the seventeenth clan.

This time, Keiji mused, the unity of clans was due to another set of members soon to arrive at the gates of Katakiichi, fresh blood as Tooru calls them, each woefully unprepared for the brutal training they will go through, the pain of stretched muscle and the struggle of walking with lethargy latched onto them due to the casting of a spell.

Training, in Katakiichi, was the closest to torture that was allowed without the concerns of the other clans. Battlefield strategies and experience were two different things, both of which were thrown upon those who lived there. Keiji was one of the first people to be placed within the confines of the Katakiichi’s walls, built high and made from crystals mined from merfolk caves, crystals that reduced the capacity of one’s magical abilities, crystals with runes delicately etched into the sides of the walls; a constant reminder that those who enter the tribe cannot leave nor escape despite the attempts that are done.

“Akaashi-kun, do you think we have to be at the welcoming ceremony?” Tooru asked, head tucked into the pillow at his cot, small tufts of his curly hair peaked out from beneath the blanket that covered him. “We do nothing but stand there and judge all the newbies either way.”

Keiji hummed a response and moved to return the book they had read, a book on arithmancy to assist in advanced spell casting and focus in control of one’s powers. Tooru had raised an eyebrow and scoffed softly when he saw what Keiji had picked to read but made no further comment until that moment.

“It will seem rude if the first two members of Katakiichi were not greeting the newcomers,” they stated, Tooru shifted underneath his blanket to sit up and send Keiji a look. “If we don’t, you know what will happen.”

At the pointed stare, Tooru looked away and shuddered.

“It’s still a pointless act, I need to be able to control gravitational forms and the collected energy from star crystals, not welcoming people from other clans to this one and tell them to have a grand time,” Tooru huffed, eyes that have begun to glow a soft gold despite the warm brown they were. Tooru had odd eyes, both beautiful and ethereal along with unsettling and terrifying, although Keiji did enjoy the similarities between their eyes, the nature of which Tooru’s left eye was equally split between sparkling honey and the unforgiving component of silver steel was always an interesting view.

Keiji was slightly more peculiar that Tooru, with eyes that shifted with the seasons from the darkest of emerald green to the coldest of greens anyone has ever seen, with each eye perfectly split between the green that was Keiji’s aura and the black that was their power, an equality and balance among the colours that relaxed Tooru and caused others to tense in response.

Tooru was a force of nature that refused to be tamed, a force of nature with eyes that burned like the sun or glowed like the moon with an energy that thrummed in his veins like a hymn of victory.

“You soften a lie so deadly with snark,” Keiji commented and chose to sit on Tooru’s outstretched legs, which earned them a yelp and grumble from their friend. “A tongue so sharp that ice is sliced and wars are stopped, but your temper is difficult to reign in, like a troll’s.”

Tooru looked affronted, face scrunched up and lines formed between his eyebrows, centimetres away from the silver and white that dotted his face like stars, each became a constellation on its own with each new adventure Tooru and Keiji went on together. Tooru slapped Keiji’s side and whined.

“Rude, Akaashi-kun, I almost thought we were bonding.”

“In the 12 years we had to almost bond you think we are now?” Keiji raised an eyebrow, body twisted to see Tooru’s expressions shift, a soft ripple took over his features as he neutralised any further change of emotion. “Oikawa-san, I’m pulling your strings.”

“You can’t do that yet,” he bristled and rolled his eyes, “and I knew that.”

Keiji smiled softly and patted Tooru’s knee without any further comment. Tooru grumbled under his breath and moved away from his cot and Keiji until he passed the stone shelves that Tooru placed onto the walls of his room, rows upon rows of perfectly symmetrical and equally spaced out shelves of rough stone lined across the span of two wall, each held up by Tooru’s gravitation manipulation that forced the slabs to remain levitated.

“Have you seen my runes book?” Tooru asked while he scanned the binders of the books that littered the shelves. “I want to try and identify any runes the newcomers have and see where we stand.”

“In terms of equal status, power,” the grin the crawled onto Keiji’s face was difficult to stop, “or perhaps their heights?”

Oikawa sent Keiji a look along with a gesture. “I’m a perfectly tall height, Keiji-chan, I’m even taller than you.”

“And lack strategic thought.”

“Says the one who believed waking up before the sun shined and practicing magic was a great idea until we got caught because of their stupid plan.”

“As I recall, a certain someone managed to understand the reasoning behind the visible light manipulation from the ‘stupid plan’.”

Tooru pursed his lips and Keiji returned his stare with one of their own, arms and legs crossed while they tilted their head to the side in a motion that lead to their analysis of Tooru, again.

“Akaashi-kun.”

“Oikawa-san.”

“Why are you like this?” Tooru sat down on a stack of wood that he prodded to move and stay still in mid-air. “A calm demeanour hiding your sharp wit, it’s a pain, really.”

Keiji raised an eyebrow and smirked, lips curled slightly at the end and the vibrancy of the green in their eyes burned brighter in the dimly lit room. Keiji’s smirks and smiles were a thing to behold, their smirks one that could easily instil fear or discomfort depending on when they use it, with their eyes revealing the true nature of Keiji’s wit and skill with words, a force that twists and ties itself around its victims until those it attacks crumble to nothing. Keiji’s smiles however are a soft thing, meant only for a select few to bear witness to the warmth that overwhelms Keiji sometimes, to the aspirations they have and the humour they possess at times.

Keiji’s smirks towards Tooru tend to remain the same, a battle between amusement and teasing that had Tooru retaliating with snark of his own and wit that rivalled many. Before Tooru opened his mouth to speak Keiji leaned back onto Tooru’s cot and clicked their tongue.

Above Tooru’s head materialised a book that had aged to yellow, with pages in varied stages of tear and the cover littered with patched and scratched in marks that likely came from Tooru or the first owner of the book.  The book lowered until it was centimetres away from Tooru’s curls before Keiji smirked and the book fell onto his head, with a squawk Tooru caught the book before it fell to the ground and rubbed the top of his head with a glare directed to Keiji.

“Keiji-kun, _why_ are you like this.”

Keiji laughed softly in response. “Get ready,” they said once they felt the soft vibrations of the welcoming bells ring, “the ceremony is about to start.”

Tooru’s response was only a high pitched whine.

***

Black ribbons streaked with gold covered the surface of the walls and gates of the village; several were twisted into intricate shapes held only by the will of one Shirabu Kenjirou, who stood rigid next to Keiji, dressed in fitted black fabric with metallic cuffs on his wrist, thighs and hips that linked flyaway pieces of material that look strategically placed to appear as if Kenjirou was the only speck of light within a cloud of doom.

 _An appropriate choice_ , Keiji mused, face blank while Tooru shifted beside them to force the strings at the sides of his high neck tunic to not dig into his ribs. Tooru’s markings and runes were visible, especially through the sheer material he wore, thin rings of silver wound around his waist, three directly below his ribs and parallel to one another with equal spacing. Keiji should know, they helped ensure the distance between each of the rings was even despite the numerous reassurance they gave Tooru as the two prepared for the ceremony.

Keiji could always thank their lucky stars that the elders did not impose the rigid expectation of clothing for ceremonies like Shirau and Tooru did, a benefit bestowed only; according to Keiji’s speculation, in order to allow Keiji’s runes to remain hidden. Something many would consider dishonourable as the runes on one’s body was the link to their strength, power and honour to their village. While being allowed to wear a long sleeved dress above their training trousers was a much simpler choice it did tend to leave Keiji somewhat underdressed, particularly in comparison to Tooru.

 _Oikawa-san is Oikawa-san and cannot be compared to_ , Keiji remembered, a master of appearances and light, gravity and grace, odd components that fought an internal war together in order to form the person Keiji knows; Oikawa Tooru.

“They’ve arrived,” Keiji stated loudly, heads turned to stare at them with a mixture of anticipation, interest, curiosity and several with pure boredom. “Around eight; not including the messenger and collector with the group.”

“Excellent, thank you Akaashi-kun, be at ease,” was a response from behind Keiji, who nodded in return.

The gates in the walls rumbled and all whispers were silenced, the dust from the movement mixed in with the fog that was spun around the village to hide them from view. There was a shout, a question of confirmation from someone to the left of Keiji that turned into a command to permit the individuals to enter the village.

A blast of cool air had Tooru shuddering and if Keiji focused harder they could see the tension in Tooru’s body from the way the muscles in Tooru’s jaw twitched and how his nose wrinkled slightly. Keiji, however, did notice the soft light that came from Tooru’s runes; it glowed softly at first, as if the power within Tooru hummed in approval or disapproval of those who are set to enter his home.

Pebbles on the ground bounced as the noise of galloping sleipnir became louder, the air crackled with tension that was split by the tell-tale hum of the sleipnir’s lightning. Silence rushed over everyone, they stood still eyes that refused to leave the portal that opened in the walls, the portal that flickered with silver light and spun around to form a spiral in the place of a rune that was previously there.

The portal looked like an oncoming storm with the ocean in a havoc of waves that raged and cut through the edges of the portal in flashes of red and orange, a sea of fire and smoke that shifted and sloshed as the first sleipnir broke through the portal’s surface. Large beasts with coats that gleamed with reflections of light and manes that looked like thin lines of silver crashing to become a ripple of colour, Keiji heard Oikawa’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of these eight legged horses, larger than a common steed and twice as intense.

More of the sleipnir exited the portal, each with a rider of their own that held onto reigns of gold and sat on saddles of ivory, until a semi-circle of ten sleipnir formed. The riders dismounted one at a time, each landed on the ground with a low huff and several patted the neck of their horse before they stood by the sleipnir.   

Two of the ten moved away from the group on either side of the semi-circle, Keiji recognised both of them an individuals from Katakiichi who quickly disappeared while leading the sleipnir they rode on to the stables. Keiji caught one of their eyes and she nodded to him, red hair tied back in a loose braid, Kirishima Aiko passed by without a second glance back and so Keiji returned their attention to those who were left behind.

Of the new members who arrived, Keiji’s attention went towards the one who stood in the center of the crowd, pale hair tied back and away from his face, traces of thick lines could be seen through the fabric of his tunic that narrowed and intertwined into braids that curled towards the back of his neck and into his hair, leaving the tips blackened.

Tooru shifted next to Keiji, the golden laurel wreaths that were positioned over his hair shone when the light landed on them, it showed a glimmer of colours; silver, green and violet, all intertwined to present the runes that glowed across Tooru’s sides. Shoulders back and head held high, Tooru looked like a king, confident and calm collected beneath the layer of his skin, gaze cold as ice that betrayed none of his inner emotions despite the rawness and power Tooru’s emotions possess at times.

Keiji looked over to a member of the far left of the group, the member with a white veil draped over their face that did nothing to hide the glowing swirls that marked his skin with colours that belong only to the stars – the softest hues of magenta and violet blend with the paleness of his skin and marred it with the permanent symbols of his power, blues and blacks merge together and fade into his skin, like battle wounds that refuse to be invisible. The overlap of patterns cut through the thin material of his veil and loose tunic and did little to hide the crisscross of feathers that were outlined against the skin of his thigh and upper arm, all of which painted him a picture of chaotic art.

The daughter of the leader of Katakiichi moved past Keiji and Tooru, a woman of many qualities that refuses to be named, with runes and markings that marred her skin like scars, a clash of dark skin and permanent ink that enhances her confidence, elegance and power. What she possessed may entrance the new comers or show which are worth a place in Katakiichi, but all her qualities may not be used as kindly, for she is the strength of the village and her qualities are her curse.

“Welcome, fellow travellers,” she began, arms spread wide as she stood among everyone. “You have gone distances that are near and far, several from across the ocean, among the mountains, within the safety of the clouds, so I welcome you to Katakiichi. A village, I assure you, is none you’ve ever experienced before.”

“You have either been selected or volunteered to join us in strength and numbers to further benefit yourself and all the sixteen clans,” she stood tall among everyone, eyes warm and soft but with vicious fierceness lingering within them. “You, among all of those in your own villages have succeeded in being accepted to Katakiichi, you, among all will find yourselves struggling with pressure but will rise to every challenge until your own powers rival any enemy you may face.”

At the figures she addressed, she smiled. A blinding thing which brought warmth to her face and dusted her skin with a soft red, the small dimple by her mouth deepened and Keiji was amused by the effect her smile had on the newcomers. They stood by the group of sleipnir that brought them through the portal with dumbfounded expressions, the sleipnir next to the veiled one snorted loudly and brushed its head into the veiled one’s shoulder, a nudge with both physical intentions of moving the newcomer and hidden intentions of a reply.

The veiled one stood up straighter and walked closer to the leader’s daughter, he bowed lowly at the waist and when he became upright once more, his face was illuminated by the glow of sunlight, through the thin material of the veil his smile was vibrant shone with an intensity Keiji had not expected.

“You have our eternal gratitude for accepting us to be part of Katakiichi,” his voice was smooth and clear as he spoke, his smile never faded or fell off his face as he carried on, “Our appreciation towards your people and your promise to nourish our abilities will not go unnoticed, for we vow to return the favour tenfold with our efforts to ensure the pride of Katakiichi does not fade from your teachings.”

The leader’s daughter lowered her head in acknowledgement before another smile broke out on her face and she held her hand out towards the veiled one. “May I ask who you may be young silvertongue?”

The veiled one’s smile remained while a gleam could be seen in the soft hazels of his eyes, the pupil of his right eye was out of the circular shape and seemed triangular, with each edge causing colours to bleed in with the hazel of his iris, the tip corner tinged violet, the bottom left corner a delicate yellow and the right corner a vibrant blue

“Sugawara Koushi,” he stated, “Volunteer from the lands of Karasuno.”

“I welcome you once more, Sugawara Koushi of Karasuno, to the village of Katakiichi, may your stay be as pleasant as your time at Karasuno has been, if not more so.”

They shared a laugh together.

“Tradition calls for a form of festivity on behalf of all those joining our village,” she carried on with a wave of her hand a breeze washed by and slammed into the portal, shrinking it to a speck until it disappeared. “However we do not enjoy celebrations during daylight, but once night settles I assure you sleep will not become an option.”

She pointed towards Keiji and ordered loudly; “If you will follow Keiji-kun to the next step in the welcoming process, I am certain they will take care of you all and teach you the ways of Katakiichi.”

 

 

Keiji nodded once before they turned on their heels and walked away from the mass crowd around the Wall of Runes and towards one of the training grounds of Katakiichi. Tooru was next to Keiji by the next blink of their eye and the two peaked at one another from the corner of their eyes, Keiji noticed Tooru’s mischievous grin that made an appearance and Tooru noticed the slight quirk to Keiji expression.

Behind them, the two could hear the footsteps of all the newcomers along with the heavier thumps from the sleipnir the walked with. Tooru and Keiji lead the group to the stables first where Kirishima helped take the sleipnir from the newcomers and waved them away with a laugh and a comment on how she’ll finish the rest and that they should all enjoy the day. Before they left Keiji saw two sleipnir curled around Kirishima on the ground while she looked slightly disgruntled but amused.

***

Keiji found themselves and Tooru to be the center of attention after the entrance ceremony had passed.

Faced with the states of the newcomers along with Tooru’s watchful eye, Keiji moved to the middle of a large ring. They stood in the smallest of the rings that surrounded one of the training stadiums of the village.

Keiji turned to see the newcomers lined up across the edge of the circle and nodded to Tooru, who in return, flicked his palms and caused pillars of stone to rise with a blue glow that shone from the marks he’d carved into it previously.

Several murmurs passed by as everyone’s sight adjusted to the change of lighting, gone was the natural warmth from the sun and in came the cooler touch of Tooru’s power.

“Welcome, once more, to your new homes for the time being,” Tooru began, the patterns that peppered his sides grew cold and he ignored the sensation as he stood next to Keiji, “I am Oikawa Tooru of Katakiichi ,resident for longer than I had expected and controller of light and gravity.”

Keiji schooled their features from the reaction they had towards Tooru’s tone, the tone of an elder, someone with power and grace and will to destroy all that stands before them if angered. Keiji had called this Tooru’s Elder tone that mismatched many of his expressions and actions on other days, but the day in which newcomers arrive is always important. One where the presentation of the villagers is the main concern of many, fail to portray that sophistication of the village and the village head will have a word and punishment set out.

Keiji stepped forward while Tooru chose to move around the newcomers, whom seem to have mixed emotions towards the man. “Akaashi Keiji, a trainer for a select few chosen by the village head. Oikawa-san and I will be assessing your current skill level and speak about any further complaint or concern you may have towards the village or our training.”  


“We, along with another trainer, will be helping you’re transition into this village from your previous home,” Keiji continued, hands clasped behind their back. “Our aim is to enhance and improve the control you have with your powers, along with your knowledge of magic and the world we live in.”

As Keiji explained their roles, Tooru walked around each newcomer, eyes that refused to leave any detail unseen, eyes that took in every aspect and image each individual newcomer possessed. He searched for the runes, drawn by the individual themselves or by others, scars and colours, patterns and placements of anything on their body, any indication to the power level of each person.

As Tooru moved onto the next newcomer in his prolonged analysis of each individual, he stood by the veiled one, who stared back and held Tooru’s gaze with a steady one of his own, he raised his arm and allowed Tooru to read over the runes and faint markings of ancient languages.

“These assessments range from physical skills; including your strengths and weaknesses per weapon of both your choice and general selections based on your power capabilities, along with your physical ability in combat. Your own powers will be assessed individually depending on the level it is classified into; level S, A, B or C, and what type your ability is.”  
  
Keiji was met with confused stares, several of them cocked their heads to the side, including the one who caught Keiji’s attention first; the one with pale hair and darkened tips with eyes that blazed with hidden fire that demanded to be released. Keiji inwardly sighed asked for Tooru’s help.

Tooru nodded and sparks dotted the space beside Keiji, violet and green began to appear on opposite sides before it formed to lines each that connected to form a large rectangle in mid-air. Letters and symbols materialised from the air like smoke blooming from an on-going flame and organised itself within the lines of the rectangle. The classification letters lined up in rows beneath one another while numbers followed into the columns next to the letters;

 **S** 1 2 3 4

 **A** 1 2 3 4

 **B** 1 2 3 4

 **C** 1 2 3 4

The letters glowed brighter and Tooru snapped his fingers, the sound caused the numbers to become dim and symbols of the main elements; earth, fire, air, water, light and darkness.

“Each letter categorises you into different levels of power, the stronger your abilities are the more likely you will be placed in category A, while the weaker your abilities the more likely you’ll be placed in category C. Each number, on the other hand, helps place you in a skill set within the main category you are in, if you are given a number one, then your control or your power in general within a category is weak. While being given a number four means your power is exceptionally powerful in that category, potentially border lining the next category.”

Keiji strode away from the rectangle of light Tooru made and closer to the group of newcomers, all of which began to watch Keiji with careful eyes as to what they would do or say next. Keiji knew the categorising system was simple and bleak, but it was one of the best ways to train and improve others with their abilities. It was one of the best ways to reduce casualties as far as Keiji knew as well.

“Sub symbols,” Keiji resumed, hands lifted up and with darkened fingers drew patterns in the air, each one representative of them main elements that Katakiichi specialised with dealing. “Are available within each category and have separate skill levels to organise into, these sub symbols branch out to less known abilities such as different physiologies and rare hybrid combinations of the elements.”

Keiji wiped at the air, dispersing the shapes they created quickly and watched as the embers of the ruined letters flew away with a breeze. As they directed their attention by to Tooru, Keiji hid a smirk behind their hand. Tooru’s eyes were wider than normal when it comes to his fascination with runes and the history behind the markings, he would spend hours upon hours reading and practicing drawing runes until each stroke is perfect. Now, where Tooru stood by the veiled newcomer, Keiji knew that Tooru would buzz with excitement. The veiled one had runes littered all over his body, the lined and curved runes were less around his hands, then increased in number and opacity as the runes grew closer to the veiled one’s body. 

Tooru felt the back of his neck tingle and schooled his features as he turned away from the veiled one to give Keiji a side glare, Keiji’s lip quirked at the side and they tilted their head slightly as a sign to carry on. Tooru glowered for another moment, still annoyed that Keiji made him pause counting the runes the veiled one had and walked closer to his friend.

“But first and foremost we need to create a medical document for each of you, as per request of our healers,” Tooru pointed towards a large tent with the leaves and vines of plants curled around the outer edges of the material, an escape of branches and vibrantly colourful flowers poked through as a blast of different hues against the bleak grey surroundings of the training court. “Measurements will be taken of your height and weight along with statistics on your blood and your energy levels, this followed by several other tests that remain unknown to Akaashi-kun and I.”

Tooru and Keiji shared a look then, partial annoyance and partial amusement mixed together and Tooru grinned toothily before he turned on his heel and stepped towards the next newcomer on his journey to explore the world of runes. Tooru looked less like a king in that moment and more like a young prince, solely interested in expanding his own knowledge and satisfying his infinite curiosity.

He now walked around one of the tallest people who arrived. Tooru watched as the runes on a half giant of a newcomer began to darken, the skin around the runes grew paler and the veins beneath their skin stood out in lines, purple and green and blue. He raised his eyebrow and called for the half giant’s attention, who in return, jumped in surprise.

Before Tooru could even ask his question, Keiji clapped their hands once to gain everyone’s attention once more, the beginning of a smirk played with their mouth and the sharpness to their eyes seemed to strengthen.

“Now then, who will go first?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> weird multi fic idea that came to be from a title ask game i responded to recently that shouldnt be turned into an actual fic but there you go.  
> i also totally regret doing this because it was the only thing i could think of all day today and all i want to do is sleep and i finished this monster of a chapter sweet holy pie i'm tired
> 
> you can find me at shouyouohno.tumblr.com


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